What file compresssion format do you like these days?

[deckeda]

Can't remember the last time I wanted to compress a file, but here I am. I'm going to back up some video files. One is actually a VIDEO_TS folder weighing in at 5.9 GB.

Using the OS X zip utility, that becomes 5.7 GB.

If I choose DropStuff 7.03 with "Better Compression" it's 5 GB --- OK, that's a decent improvement.

I next tried StuffitX format and it wanted an hour or more no matter what compression setting, so forget that.

DropTar wanted about an estimated 40 minutes. Not going to wait. But I don't know what the impact of the different choices are there. Seems I can use the Stuffit engine, Bzip or Gzip or Unix compress.

[GGD]

The contents of that VIDEO_TS folder are already compressed files, so you're not going to get any great space savings by trying different compressors.

[deckeda]

I would say that in my one example, going from 5.9 to 5 GB is worthwhile. Apparently one of the .vob files inside of it had room to compress.

I just did another test of an .mpg file and no, there wasn't an improvement. Oh well it was just a thought.

[C(-)ris]

Just pick up one of the new Hitachi 1TB SATA drives and be done with it

[chas_m]

If ZIP doesn't help, I ain't interested. File compression is soooo 90s.

Not something I want to waste any brainpower on, esp. not with 1TB drives going for close to $300 these days. My younger self would have squealed like a little girl at the mere THOUGHT of 1TB, nevermind that I could easily afford such extravagance!!

why you young whippersnappers! I remember when I paid nearly $1200 for a 5 MEGABYTE yes that's right 5 MEGABYTE hard drive for my TRS-80 model IV!! I thought *I* was going to need the IV!!

I remember thinking at the time "what are we going to DO with all this space??"

HA!

[Robert M]

Deck,

None whenever possible. Typically, the only items I compress now are movies, i.e. backing up a movie to a single layer DVD. Otherwise, I do not compress files at all. In these days of high capacity hard disk drives, CD-R/RW, DVD+R/-R/+R Dual Layer and flash drives, compression is unnecessary under normal circumstances.

Robert